Lollapalooza Case Study: Bringing Clean Energy Solutions to the Main Stage

Held annually in Chicago, Lollapalooza is a four-day concert festival that attracts some of the biggest music acts in the world. C3 Presents and Live Nation, the event’s promoter, introduced a sustainability initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their festivals by 50 percent by 2030. As part of the Music Decarbonization Project, Billie Eilish and Reverb partnered to bring clean energy solutions to the main stage at Lollapalooza. POWR2’s POWRBANK battery energy storage systems (BESS), supplied and managed by Overdrive Energy Solutions, were charged via a temporary on-site solar array. The POWRBANKs supplied zero-emission power to Billie’s 80-minute headline set.

THE CHALLENGE

The team was tasked with powering Billie Eilish’s lighting, video, audio, and special effects, including the rapid elevator “toaster” that popped Eilish on stage at the start of the show.

One of the primary challenges faced in this endeavor was the absence of a standardized benchmark for providing clean power to a main stage show of Lollapalooza’s magnitude. Additionally, the lack of rehearsal time hindered the team’s ability to estimate the power requirements.

“There was a bit of a challenge, just in terms of sizing the system. Because we never got to do rehearsals with the equipment that they were bringing on stage, we didn’t really know what the loads were,” explains Sean Jacobs, the lead engineer at Overdrive Energy Solutions.

THE SOLUTION

• Utilized 12 POWRBANK XPRO battery energy storage systems. Each with an output capacity of 60kW and a storage capacity of 120 kWh.

To address these challenges, the team implemented a scalable and flexible clean energy solution centered around renewable energy. They deployed twelve POWRBANK XPRO battery energy storage systems. A temporary on-site 60kW solar array consisting of 136 solar panels charged them prior to the event. The POWRBANKs were configured to supply five services: one 400-amp, three 200-amp, and one 100-amp.

“What we did from the get-go, was design everything from the solar, to the POWR2 units that we use, even how we set up the wire, and everything so that we’d have as many options as we could on site to make it work the way we needed to,” Neel Vasavada, founder of Overdrive Energy Solutions, states.

One major concern was providing enough power for the extensive lighting services needed during the show. They used three POWRBANKs to power the lighting package. In total, the system could provide 750 kW of power and 1.4 MWh of energy storage.

THE RESULTS

• 6.6% of the total energy stored was used.
• 1.02 metric tonnes of potential carbon offset.
• 180 gallons of potential diesel fuel saved.

Efficient and Reliable Power

Despite the main stage’s substantial energy requirements, only a fraction of the total energy storage capacity was utilized. This showcased the efficiency and reliability of the POWRBANKs. Notably, the three POWRBANKs tasked with powering lighting services used only 29% of the total energy available.

Reduced Maintenance Requirements

While generators required oil changes and refueling onsite, the POWRBANKs required no maintenance at the event.

Scalable and Flexible

The surplus energy capacity of the system showcased its ability to sustainably power numerous headline sets. It underscores its potential for future large-scale events. With the capacity to support approximately 10 additional sets with similar power requirements without recharging, the system’s versatility and reliability were clearly demonstrated.

Reduced CO2 Emissions and Fuel Consumption

This achievement not only established a groundbreaking precedent for sustainability within the music industry, but it also delivered tangible environmental benefits, including significant carbon offset and substantial fuel savings.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

This success showcased the feasibility of clean energy solutions in large-scale music events. It also provided a clear path forward for the music industry to take proactive climate action. By pioneering innovative approaches to energy management, the initiative not only achieved its sustainability goals but also set a precedent for future events to follow suit.

“As an engineer, I say that the main impediment to adoption is culture. It’s not technology,” Neel Vasavada says.

As the global community intensifies its efforts to combat climate change, initiatives like the Music Decarbonization Project at Lollapalooza serve as beacons of progress, demonstrating the power of collective action in building a sustainable future.